Fight 2 Win PSA launched to find a cure for Hodgkin's Disease

Leading post-production house Optimus Santa Monica today announced that the “Fight 2 Win” PSA – created by Draftfcb Irvine Creative Director Scott Murray, produced by Draftfcb Irvine Senior Producer Tom Anderson, directed by RSA’s Russo Brothers and edited by Optimus Santa Monica Editor Hovig Menakian– has launched and will run through the end of 2009 on Fox, Turner and ESPN. The spot supports the Alese Coco Fight 2 Win Foundation, which aims to find a cure for Hodgkin's Disease and recurrent Hodgkin's Disease through increasing awareness and raising money to fund research grants.

The spot, which depicts a young woman in a hospital bed asking for money on a busy city street, very poignantly depicts the struggle of victims of Hodgkin’s Disease and their loved ones. Specifically, while Hodgkin’s Disease kills three people a day, it is virtually ignored when it comes to funding for research because that is a relatively small number compared with other cancers. The Alese Coco Fight 2 Win Foundation is trying to change this, and with the help of the ad it will.

“When we started this project, like most of the American public, we didn’t know much about Hodgkin’s Disease,” says Murray. “As it turns out, that’s a big part of the problem. Youth are the #1 victims of the disease, and yet funding for research is largely non-existent – victims are literally being ignored. We decided that was the story we needed to tell, and we went out of our way to make sure the spot felt as real as possible - from the casting to the sound design to the look of the film to the way we edited the story - so as to make sure nothing got in the way of the message. I think we succeeded in doing that.”

The PSA originated when Greg Creed, the president of Taco Bell who sits on the Board of the Alese Coco Fight 2 Win Foundation, asked Draftfcb and Optimus to develop a spot to help the organization’s mission.

“It’s hard to believe how little funding this cancer receives, especially given that researchers believe it could be curable,” says Menakian. “We hope viewers will be influenced by the spot and will donate time and money toward the cause.”